, 1887-01-13
ANTISEPTIC SURGERY.
PROGRESS MADE IN THE ART
WITHIN A FEW YEARS.

WITHIN A FEW YEARS.
Improved Methods of surgery which
Produce Astounding Notwithstanding
of Wounds by First In~tention"-Ne-
cossity of Cleanliness-Dressing.
Fifty years & on the minutes OF the
Pennsylvania hospital in this city, especial
mention was made of the fact that an
amputated finger had healed by first
intention, " that is, without the process
Of suppuration and FORMULATION, which is
the usual mode by which tissues heal.
At the present time 1t is usual, and not
unusual, to have an amputated leg heal
by the first intention as well as the
wounds made in the performance Of
nearly all major and minor operations of
surgery.
So rapid has been the progress in the
improved methods OF what is known as
antiseptic surgery that many medical
men are astounded to e of the results
that are being obtained, and the general
public are not at all aware Of the great
advances in the surgical art. Indeed, an
tiseptic surgery has been in its infancy
for less than a dozen years, and has only
received its perfect application within "A
few months.
In the human body there exists a repair
ative power by which the separated frag-
ments Of a broker bone are united and the
cut surfaces Of a wound are united. The
simplest mode OF healing an open wound
Is by the first intention or Immediate
union, " for which surgeons have aimed
for hundreds of years. They had OBJ
served it in rare instances, and looked
upon 1t as u possibility; but, as previously
stated, they seldom succeeded In getting
1t, and the instances in which they did
get it were deserving OF special note. If
union fails by the first intention In
Illumination supervenes, and healing Is ac-
complished by n long and tedious process
Of suppuration and granulation, requiring
several weeks or perhaps months for the
closure of n wound of any considerable
size. And this is always connected with
a great drain on the vital forces, and Ian
ger from blood poisoning,
II MODERN MErHoD.
What is a%ntiseptic surgery 1t con-
sists Of certain precautions and appli-
ances for the exclusion of the air, and
with the mir OF the numerous germs OF
disease and putrefaction which float In
1t, and the application Of n germicide,
which destroys the vitality of these germs
during and after operation. The more
perfectly this is lone the more likely will
there be procured the primary union, or
union by first intention. - Everybody
knows hat a cut Of II finger, ii promptly
tied up and kept Mt rest, will heal readily;
but If 1t be neglected and allowed to get
particles of dirt and the germs of disease
into 1t there is considerable inflammation.
the injured member becomes painful and
swollen, discharges matter and is slow 10
la. tta.r.tfn utt r..u - q. tt..n AZ tI.t elm.
pllciiy of domestic practice-the accurate
coaptation Of the parts, provision being
made Tor the free DISCHARGE Of secretions
from the wound and the seclusiuu of the
mir and germs of disease. BY the adoption
Of nntiseptic measures the surgeon simply
follows natures indication. He puts the
parts in the best possible condition to heal
and nature does the healing
The methods ,dopted in order 10 secure.
fhis success nre simple. and but "A little
more expensive, considering the first cost.
hut Infinitely less costly than the old way
OF dressing, when consideration is made
for the time and waste of repeated dress
ings, and the lessened risk Of blood poison
ing and death from exhaustion from pro-
longed suppuration.
cIEANIINFss t~ssENrfAI
The most essential element in .rtisentic
surupry il cleanliness TIA. uurt tn ba
oncrntad nnnn mr. The MONT ~ iniury and
adjacent tissue il nrst t-horoughiv
soruhf,.d win snsn and n fine hrush II
is then shaved To- remove hair md dead
cut,neous cells and afteryards washed
with ether In rrnove inf md DIV motter
If ia then washed vim m nntisnntic soIu.
zion md the oner,tion il heorrn small
stream NJ The snlutton "a uIayaJ unon the
narts nj short intr,vals ns ths operation
progresses Every oncning in Tho tissues
il washed out with mis- solution Tho narts
nre hrnught together With cntgut sutrres
which hive heen rendered esentic and
these sutI,res nrs ohsorhed co-nseoran,ir
there is notbing In come awav CatU,t
heing nm animal Tissue q conahIe of nh
sorn,ion ond is ,,so5 Co.. ro,rrinn rassais
For This nurpose several strands are nlaced
in the deeper part OF u wound and drain